The Jewish community of Lawrence and Cedarhurst joined its neighbors on Monday to mark Memorial Day with a parade up Cedarhurst Avenue and a ceremony in Andrew J. Parise park. “We are grateful this day for those who have put their lives on the line to insure that our country is safe, protected and secure,” said Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence. “We remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice — we can never, ever forget.” more

After more than 26 years of unanswered questions, Nassau County police have reopened the cold case murder of Chaim Weiss, a Long Beach rabbinical student, and offered a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the murder. Weiss, a 15-year-old, third-year rabbinical student at the Mesivta of Long Beach, was found slain in his dormitory bedroom on Nov. 1, 1986. more

Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich, whose campaign for religious freedom from within the repressive Soviet Union inspired a generation of young Jews around the world, will visit the Five Towns this Shabbat. The former Prisoner of Zion — he maintained Torah while surviving 11 years in the gulag of communist prisons and labor camps before emigrating to Israel — will make several public appearances on Saturday, and then participate in Sunday’s Celebrate Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. more

The Brandeis School celebrated a delayed JSAM (Jewish Social Action Month) on May 2, hosting a party for the children of SIBS Place. The event featured a bounce house, face painting, cotton candy, pizza and dessert. SIBS Place, a program of South Nassau Community Hospital, provides services for children who have acutely ill siblings or parents. more

In their first season joining the League, the Ateres Yaakov Eagles took home the intermediate division (9th and 10th grades) championship in the National Council of Young Israel’s Basketball League. The championship culminated an intense 10 game season, in which the Eagles finished with a division leading 8-2 record. more

May 28 South Nassau Hospital Offers Parent-Child Education Classes and Support Groups Breastfeeding Support Group, 10:30am-12:00pm All classes unless otherwise noted, will be held at the Parent/Child Education Classroom located at 2277 Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor in Baldwin. For more information, or to register for classes please call (516) 377-5310. more

Unfortunately, there has been a spate of catastrophic events in the last few months. The Sandy Hook shooting, Boston marathon terror attack and now most recently the devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma cumulatively pose a threat to the sense of safety and equanimity that we desire for our children and us. In light of this clustering of horror and misfortune, OHEL’s trauma team has revised its “pointers” in its ongoing effort and commitment to preserve our children’s sense of safety. more

This past Shabbat, Parshat Naso, Congregation Bais Tefilah in Woodmere, held its first annual Cholent Contest. Ten cooks arrived at the shul at 5:30 PM on Friday, May 17th, erev Shabbat to set up their cholents. more

So there we were, stuck in horrendous traffic on the way to the Klein bris. We left an hour and half to get to Teaneck, but rain, traffic and accidents slowed everything down. We got to the shul 9:05 and Jerry thought that maybe it was too late to even go in. I said we should at least run in to say mazal tov (as you’ll see, no good deed goes unpunished). more

Our holy Torah is composed of both halachic (legal) and narrative portions. While there is usually nearly universal consensus that a particular law exists, halachic passages are often the focus of diverse interpretations regarding their pragmatic application. Thus, an entire genre of Jewish literature has arisen whose sole purpose is to determine the practical ramifications of both Torah and Rabbinic laws. In many ways, the creation of this unique and dynamic body of literature has continued unabated since, at the moment of the Sinaitic Revelation, our forebears declared “Naaseh v’nishmah” (“We will do and we will accept,” Sefer Shemot 24:7). more